Five Things To Look Forward To This Year

Hey guys, I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic new year! I know I am, what with all the resolutions I’ve made to get out more, eat less candy, watch less movies…

Aw heck, who am I kidding? January sucks. It sucks so much that I’ve already broken all three of my resolutions – I spent January 2nd in my bedroom, eating all the Cheetos, Jolly Ranchers and Oreos I got for Christmas (well, what was left anyway…). Now I’m back at work and man, I’m feeling down in the dumps…that’s what you folks say, right?

But heck, it ain’t like me to be all depressed so I’ve decided to get my chin up (after eating a couple of bowls of Lucky Charms) and put together a list of stuff for y’all to look forward to in 2013. If these ain’t enough to lift you out of those January blues, I ain’t sure what is!

Superhero Movies

2012 was a freakin’ awesome year for superhero movies, what with ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘The Avengers’ pretty much dominating the box office and my blu-ray player over the past couple of months. After such a great year, how the heck is 2013 gonna match up?

Well, it might not but it’s gonna try, trust me. Y’all have probably already seen my post about Iron Man 3, which looks so good that I ain’t sure I’m gonna be able to wait until April for it. Another Avenger is also gonna hit the big screen again later in the year, with every girl’s favourite superhero Thor returning for a new adventure in which he smashes stuff with a big ol’ hammer. Rounding up a trilogy of Marvel blockbusters is ‘The Wolverine’, starring the only X Men character that really matters (right?).

On top of that, we’ve got the return of America’s greatest superhero…okay, maybe like 2nd after Batman…3rd after Spider-Man…aw heck, this could go on forever – it’s Superman and he’s back in ‘Man of Steel’, which is directed by Zack Snyder of ‘Watchmen’ and overseen by Christopher Nolan of ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’. I dunno ‘bout you but the trailer got me as excited as drinking too many bottles of Bawls.

Awesome Video Games

If 2012 was the year of awesome movies then 2013 is 100% gonna be the year of awesome video games. I don’t really know where to start but there’s pretty much gonna be something for everyone; Lara Croft returning in a reboot of ‘Tomb Raider’, the sequel we all really wanted to ‘Aliens’ instead of that weird ‘Alien 3’ and ‘Prometheus’ stuff in ‘Aliens: Colonial Marines’ and ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’ which – oh man, I’m so excited about this that I can barely type – is a fighting game starring the DC Comics heroes. Batman vs. Superman in the freakin’ Batcave? I love 2013 already!

Oh, did I forget to mention Grand Theft Auto V? There’s that too!

Music Gets Good Again

Now, I know a lot of people won’t agree but I ain’t much of a fan of modern music. I prefer kicking back to ‘Appetite To Destruction’ than listening to ‘Skrillex’ or whatever the heck he’s called.

All of which means 2013 looks to be a great year for me, with some awesome acts for the past reuniting. Pearl Jam, Eminem and Black Sabbath – complete with Ozzy! – are all releasing albums over the next year, as well as…erm…The Backstreet Boys.

If that ain’t your bag, then I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are also releasing albums this year…not that I checked or marked the dates in my diary or anything…

The Glorious Return of Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McClane

So I know you guys ain’t quite as keen on Arnie as I am, but heck, what better reason to be excited for 2013 than the return of the big guy to the big screen? ‘The Last Stand’, in which Arnie fights drug dealers trying to get to the Mexican border, comes out later this month which should blow away those January blues quicker than Arnie tearing through an army with a Gatling gun.

There’s also the small issue of John McClane returning to our screens in ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’. Yeah, okay, the title is lame but the fifth instalment in the Die Hard franchise looks anything but. Bruce Willis is back as John McClane and this time he’s getting the next plane over to Russia to kick some butt along with his son, Jack. Expect plenty of action and helicopters getting killed by cars.

Another Year with American Soda

Okay, so this one is blowing our own trumpet a bit but what better way to lift those blues than buying a big ol’ box of your favourite American candy?! It’s definitely my favourite way to put a smile back on my face and hey, there’s free shipping until the 10th January (use code FREE2013 at the checkout, folks!) so what are you waiting for?

Of course, there’s also another year of me and the folks at AS have got a few surprises lined up for me this year as I try and come to terms with British culture. Will I end the year with a Manc accent? Stay tuned to find out!